My options I could think fast in Columbia, MD for a quick meal was Chipotle, Cosi, Pei Wei, Noodles & Company...etc.

I was near Pei Wei so I checked out their website since I've only been there once years ago.

So, Pei Wei was created by PF Chang people and seem to have Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese...
And to my surprise they had 'Limited Time Only' (is that for real...?) Korean BBQ. Hmm...'Korean"??
I gotta go check that out and review that dish. LOL.

I know people just name our Korean BBQ to whatever sauce they invent. Just hoped that this one is not another new creation afar from the original Korean BBQ.
I saw from the menu that Korean BBQ can be order in Chicken, shrimp, beef or vegetable...and...really???
Never knew that! ha ha but that's an idea!
I had to compare the sauce and see if they could call it "Korean" so I ordered beef, which was priced around $8-9. As soon as I got it, the smell itself...was...oh no...Chinese Takeout...sigh...

So as a Korean, I categorize this as American Chinese Take Out...
Don't get me wrong. It's good and very very sweet. It tasted like Hunan Beef to me. One credit for using scallions and carrots. LOL. But it's all about the sauce...and it's Asian but sorry, it's not Korean.

They seemed to use sauces that's not Korean. I think they used oyster sauce which is NOT Korean...

I didn't know but I guess this salad was supposed to be topped on the rice?

Korean BBQ sauce is soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic, just to be clear!!!

I think I also tasted some ginger...but we don't usually use it for beef. We use garlic, garlic, and some more garlic ha ha...some use ginger for pork to get rid of the smell but my mom uses wine if we have to, since ginger could overcome other flavors if used recklessly!

If you have to use ginger use as little as possible and should do the trick, not enough to taste it against other flavors.

My mom always says, flavors have to have a perfect balance to get together and create wonderful taste, not go against each other. And  that balance creates whether the food tastes good or not, not what ingredients you use.

Back at Pei Wei, while I was waiting for my order, another customer also ordered Korean BBQ ...they weren't Koreans nor Asians and they will think that what they just ate KOREAN BBQ!!!!!! Can you feel my frustration yet?

Another taste buds being manipulated that there's not much difference in Asian cuisine...Chinese..Japanese...Korean..etc all the same. Sigh...

I can't say I can tell the difference of other Asian foods like a pro, but at least I can tell you what's Korean and not. And this wasn't Korean.

Hopefully, one by one, people get to distinguish and appreciate different flavors of Asian country cuisines. That's why I started the blog after all.

And I'm sure I would like other dishes here as long as it doesn't say "Korean." And it satisfied my hunger so all is well for now.

ebay items related in Asian Cuisine

PF Changs $20 Gift Card - Free Shipping! US $19.00

2x PF CHANGS - Free Appetizer Coupon - $18 Value With Free Shipping! US $6.50

P.F. Changs Celebrate The Year of the Dragon Discount Game (in Sealed Envelope) US $1.99

Pei Wei Asian Diner is located in:
Dobbin Center
6478 Dobbin Center Way Suite A
Columbia, MD  21045
(410) 423-2550

My friend Q and I went to Hasung Korean Chinese Restaurant/Carryout in Hanoori Town food court (this food court used to be Beseto located next to Catonsville H-Mart).  We think they have the best Jjajangmyun in Maryland.

Every Korean Chinese has 2 main dishes; Jjajangmyun and Jjamppong and it's not the regular Jjajangmyun but Gan Jjajang Myun that you gotta try at Hasung.

First of all, in case you are not too familiar with Jjajang Myun itself, it's made with black bean paste, called chunjang. Chunjang is cooked with veggies and meat and later mixed with noodles. Usually Jjajangmyun comes out in one bowl with Sauce over the noodle.

Gan Jjajang Myun comes out in two separate bowls, one noodle and one sauce bowl. I am not an expert in how to cook Jjajang sauces, but Gan Jjajang is known to be thicker chunjang sauce that's been stir fried rather than cooked/boiled. So, usually it has more stronger flavor and Hasung's Gan Jjajang is EXCELLENT!

My lovely Gan Jjajang right over here. Oooooo~ Love JjajangMyun but hate the part where I need to mix them.

Takes forever with empty stomach and watering mouth...Sigh.... Once we started moving our chopsticks...we got quiet and I totally forgot about taking any further pictures....Ha ha...

And I eat A LOT of pickled radish Danmooji. One bite of Jjajangmyun and one bite of Danmooji. I always ask for seconds. Heh heh.

Ramyun or rice with Kimchi, Jjajangmyun with Danmooji, Sushi or Sashimi with pickled ginger...that's the way it should be!

My friend Q wanted hot soup so she got Gochu Jjamppong.

Jjamppong is seafood spicy noodle soup. There are two kinds of Jjamppong too, the regular one and extra spicy Gochu Jjamppong (Red pepper Mix ups).

Jjamppong basically means hodgepodge of everything and as you can see, it has seafood, veggies, noodle, and soup. Love it! And I'm the type of person who is always torn between Jjajang Myun and Jjamppong. I know I'm not the only one. Right?

People usually tell me to get JjamJja Myun (Half & Half version)to resolve the issue, but I usually resolve by pursuading someone to order the other noodle. LOL. (But most of the time Jjajangmyun wins!)

And as a special treat for us...

Q got us L.A. GALBI combo. Oooooooo~

Little out of focus...but couldn't take anymore...Hmmph... Oh! We ordered this from right next door not Hasung.

This was pretty good too. The bowl of rice was left untouched...so umm....I mixed it with my leftover Jjajang sauce and ate it as a Jjajang Bob. Nice~

My bowl was clean~!

Either the food looked delicious or I looked too happy, the ladies right next table were looking at us for sometime and asked us what we just ate. LOL. They weren't Korean and they wanted to find out what we ordered, what it's made of, and what it tasted like...I could tell them the first two but....ummm tastes like jjajang? It's not like I can offer them a bite...Hmmm...

Hope they try next time they come though...
If you live near, try it! Remember it's Gan Jjajang!

Oh! and each restaurants have different taste so you gotta try them to see if the regular or Gan jjajang is better. I think Hanjoongkwan Gan Jjajang is not worth the higher price and that's my opinion so...you decide.

Enjoy!

Hasung is located inside of Hanoori Town
410-747-3535
822 N Rolling Road
Catonsville, MD 21228

Jjajang on ebay:

NONG SHIM Chapagetti Chajang Noodle, 4.5-Oz Pks of 20 US $29.99

NONG SHIM CHAPAGETTI CHAJANG RAMYUN RAMEN NOODLE 20PC US $17.99

Nong Shim Chapagetti Chajang Noodle, 4.5-Ounce Packages (Pack of 20) US $25.79

NONG SHIM Chapagetti Chajang Noodle, 4.5-Oz Pks of 20 US $29.99

I haven't had Samgyupsal for the longest time... so
we headed to Honey Pig. Samgyupsal(direct translation meaning Three layered meat) is like bacon but fresh not smoked. Oooooo~

We ordered 2 servings of Samgyupsal and each of us ordered cold noodle soup, Nangmyun. I ordered Mul Nangmyun and June ordered spicy Bibim Nangmyun.

Love these sides that comes with Samgyupsal! If you eat onions, kimchi, sprouts with the bbq...Mmmmmmmmmmm!

Oh and don't forget to eat it with your salad and dipping sauces.

They also gave us green onion Kimchi called PaKimchi as well for bbq. (I love that Kimchi so we asked little more on the side to eat). And love their steamed eggs and DoenJangJjigae (bean paste stew) too.

My Mulnangmyun was good too. I ate it with BBQ. Some eat afterwards but I just enjoyed it together. Put some vinegar and mustard and very nice and cold.

June's spicy Bibim Nangmyun. It's actually sweet and spicy. June couldn't wait for me and just started to mix the sauce.

I had to stop her for a minute and take the picture. Guess  June was as excited as I was about our Christmas Lunch..Yes it was lunch;;;;. We were starving so we became real quiet after taking these pictures and started to dig in.

We were very full (we finished it all....!)but we couldn't skip the free Korean style sweet coffee on our way out. They have a machine near the door. Just push the button and small coffee cup will come out....wait little bit till coffee's done and Enjoy~

I usually drink black coffee for the caffeine boost but after eating spicy Korean food, sweet coffee is the best way to wrap up the meal. And did I mention it's FREE? ... Mmmm good~

I also have a picture of other Entree called Bulnak Chulpan-Stir Fry BBQ of Bulgogi + Octopus in Spicy sauce.

I didn't eat it the same day...FYI..this one I ate with a friend. Thanks for the food, San!

On the menu, all the Chulpan menus (not the BBQ but one grill flipped the other way like the picture), when you are almost done with your food ( you gotta leave some to fry with rice), ask your server to stir fry rice with it. Then they'll bring a bowl of rice with lots of veggies and sauce and fry with your leftover entree. That's my favorite part of this menu.

I love eating Chulpan menu for that extra stir fried rice...(I forgot to take a pic of this...will add later when I get to go again).

Anyhow back to Christmas....And that's where I spent my Christmas Lunch...afterwards...I had major food coma for hours...I found Honey Pig 10% off coupon. The link shows lunch specials too...it expires this week so Enjoy!

Honey Pig Korean B-B-Q
10045 Baltimore National Pike
Rt. 40 West behind Double T Diner
Ellicott City, MD 21042
Ph: 410-696-2426

Korean BBQ Grills on ebay:

Aluminum Thai Lao Korean-Style Barbecue BBQ Grill Topper 35cm 14" US $56.01

Stove Top Non Stick Indoor Korean BBQ Barbeque Grill US $14.95

Aluminum Thai Lao Korean-Style Barbecue BBQ Grill Topper 12" US $38.77

Stove Top Non Stick Indoor Korean BBQ Barbeque Grill US $24.95

Korean Japanese Style BBQ Grill Steak Hot Pan + Stove Set US $69.99

korean bbq & teppanyaki grill NONSTICK BBQ LINER SHEET MAT TEFLON for BBQ plate US $26.39

STOVE TOP INDOOR KOREAN BBQ GRILL, NON-STICK ,GRILL EVERYDAY US $16.95

Aluminum Korean Thai Lao Indoor Table Topper BBQ Barbeque Grill Pan Stove 12" US $29.00

Aluminum Korean Thai Lao Barbeque Grill Pan Stove, BBQ Grilled Pan US $1.99

Aluminum Thai Lao Korean Charcoal Barbecue BBQ Grill 35cm 14" US $145.42

Korean BBQ Barbeque Grill Char Broiler Propane NEW US $359.00

HEAVY DUTY BBQ LINER 50x40cm for BBQ plate,great 4 korean bbq & teppanyaki grill US $26.88

Korean BBQ Barbeque Grill Char Broiler Propane NEW US $359.00

Stove Top Non Stick Indoor Korean BBQ Barbeque Grill US $16.95

Sometimes I get "Triple Delight" dish which is not a soup but has 3 different kinds of meat over the vermicelli. It's good with fish sauce that comes with it. But most of the time I usually get this D12...( I just love hot soup soooooooo much)I'm not a big fan of any other meat in the soup. But there are all different kinds to choose from. I prefer it simple. Some put the hot sauce in the soup to make it spicy. I eat it as it is.

It's interesting to see people eating one simple noodle soup all different. Next time you go, see how others eat it. You can get creative with this dish.

These veggies comes with the noodle soup. I squeeze out lime (cleans out the smell) juice, put sprouts and turn the noodle over to 'cook' sprouts in the soup, and put some cilantro in. Thai Basil is little too strong for me still but others put couple leaves in the soup. Your choice.

*Anna's Tip* I love to wrap sprouts, onion slices, sprouts with two sauces (Hoisin sauce and Hot Sauce-Sriracha) on the table with the meat slice in the soup. Try it it's good! Use your Asian soup spoon like the one following to lay a slice of meat then other veggies with sauce and eat it altogether. Yum~

Asian Spoon on eBay

ASIAN AMUSE BOUCHE APPETIZER SERVING SOUP SPOON ~ WHITE US $3.95

And this a side of onion is a must for me everytime. We eat it like Kimchi for Pho. I put some in the noodle soup and leave some to eat like Kimchi by mixing it with hot sauce.

Pho leaves some strong aftertaste (not just your mouth but on your clothes too LOL) so I always go to Starbucks to get a cup of Decaf as a finishing touch.

As for their service...well, it depends on who you get. Most of them are nice but couple of them just looks angry and rarely come to serve you. But most of the time, I liked their service and I go there so often that some people are starting to recognize me. Hah hah;;;;

Pho Dat Thanh
9400 Snowden River Pkwy # 125, Columbia -(410) 381-3839

Pho instant noodle on ebay:

Instant Noodle Sampler Udon Ramen Pho Chow Mein Pad thi US $13.50

CASE 12 ~VIETNAMESE INSTANT (ADD WATER) PHO NOODLES SOUP IN BOWL ~ BEEF FLAVOR US $22.95

Restaurant Reviews:
Jong Kak Korean BBQ Restaurant in Baltimore, MD
Allgreen Market Food Court-Poongnyun , MD
Sushi King Japanese Restaurant , MD
Niko Japanese Restaurant, MD
VietGoel/LightHouse Tofu House Korean Restaurant , MD
Tian Korean-Chinese Restaurant, MD

Kimchi Recipes:
Traditional Whole Napa Cabbage Kimchi
Quick 'n Easy version Kimchi

I originally planned to get a sushi boat but my parents wanted to also try Shabu-Shabu, the Japanese Hot Pot. Shabu-Shabu or Hot Pot is made with hot broth soup and you cook all sorts of vegetables and meats. I personally think it is a very healthy meal since you get to eat all different kinds of vegetables and others...

When you order Shabu-Shabu, you get raw meat like this and other veggies and noodles already in the broth. Make sure you cook it thoroughly before you eat! ^^

and you get portable burner like this and cook it on the table. The pot seemed to be very small to us. Hah hah...when we cook at our house we cook it in a large pot...we'll post our style Shabu-Shabu recipe in the future. Heh Heh. You also get soysauce and lemon sauce where you can dip stuff from the pot. I love eating soup from it too so make sure you get a spoon as well. (We had to ask for the spoons and the extra bowl since our server forgot to bring it to us.) Hot soup is always good! Yummmmm

And our sushi platter was very good too ^^ We killed it. Heh heh. However, I didn't really like squid? thingy the white one was little to mushy for me...

and since it was a special day we had to get a scoop of Green Tea Ice Cream!!!! Love, Love, and LOVE!!!
(HINT***If you love Green tea Ice cream as much as I do, You can buy this at H-Mart too***)

Other customers around us all ordered all sorts of rolls and they looked good too. But like all other Japanese Restaurants, prices are little too high for me to go too often...(raw fish is not that good to eat too often anyways....whew) but once in a while it is a special treat for me and my family and I love this restaurant. How about you?

p.s. miso soup and salads are good too ^^ and I like their flavored bubble gums too (This you can also get at an Asian Market LOL)
Oh and it may be wise to make a reservation if you are going there for the weekend.

Sushi King is located at:
6490 Dobbin Road
Columbia, MD 21045-5826
(410) 997-1269

Other Restaurant Reviews:
Niko Japanese Restaurant, MD
Pho Nam Vietnamese Restaurant, MD
Jong Kak Korean BBQ Restaurant in Baltimore, MD
Bonchon Chicken, VA

Sushi set on eBay

COMPLETE SUSHI SET - GREAT GIFT! US $5.00

Unique Set of Old McNicol’s Stonewall Pottery Japanese Ikebana Sushi Miso Bowls US $17.35

Sushi Plate ~ Set of Four ~ Made in Japan US $5.00

Set of 12 pcs Fake Food Japanese Nigiri Sushi Tuna, Salmon, Ebi, Tobikko & more US $14.95

fish-shape SUSHI LUNCHEON PLATES SET OF 4 CLEAR GLASS US $1.99

Since it specializes in Soondubu, there are many different style of Soondubu Jjigae and you can choose how spicy your stew will be. You can even choose to make it not spicy at all.

This is the menu on the table. You might need to ask for a menu if you want to order sushi but most of what they offer will be on this small menu. Top half is your choice of Tofu soup and bottom half is different dishes like Galbi, other seafood dishes. They marked spicy ones and nicely described ingredients so you should have no problem.

Soondubu Jjigae is mostly reddish spicy but the name itself doesn't hint that it must be spicy. If you cannot handle spicy just get something not spicy or mild. After all Soondubu Jjigae just means Tofu Stew.

Although there are many different kinds, I find seafood to be the best so far. Mushroom was somewhat disappointing with not much mushroom and meat stew is too greasy for me. But it's my personal preference so let me know if anything else is great!

Also, I always get SPICY and always regret that it's too spicy for me. Note to myself... little spicy not SPICY -_-;; So you too be careful if you can't take it. They give you fresh egg you can crack it yourself as soon as your stew is served so it gets cooked before you eat it. I always crack it and stir from bottom to top so my egg would be thoroughly cooked. Just make sure that if you don't want your yolk to pop just be careful while flipping tofu.

When they serve your stew, they serve rice cooked in Dolsot (Korean Stone Pot) and remember Noorongji? The hard crispy rice on the bottom of Dolsot softened with water is meant to be eaten at the very end of the meal. It helps to calm down all the spiciness and clean out the strong taste of the stew...personally I think it helps digesting too. Sometimes when I don't feel like eating rice itself, I start eating Noorongji with water early with the stew.

They sell sushi also. I tried some Sashimi as an appetizer and it was pretty good. Just make sure you don't eat them together. I suggest eating sushi first if you want to eat both, since Soondubu stew taste is so strong you won't be able to properly enjoy expensive sushi!

and Enjoy!

Vit Goel (Lighthouse) Tofu House
12710 TwinBrook Pkwy
Rockville, MD 20852
(301) 881-1178

Other Restaurant Reviews:
Allgreen Market Food Court-Poongnyun , MD
Jong Kak Korean BBQ Restaurant in Baltimore, MD
Tian Korean-Chinese Restaurant, MD
Niko Japanese Restaurant, MD

They have tried to do different menus to attract customers but guess failed to do so.
Last time I went (I went back couple more times after the post) I was very dissatisfied and never went back again due to lack of quality. Maybe that's what others thought as well or maybe the bad economy. Or..did it just move? Anyone know anything about this?

If you want to see what kind of restaurant it was way back in January 2009 click here...

It was a small lunch buffet with seats mostly filled with seniors (I don't know if it was a regular situation or it was Senior specials day or something.) Even the bussers were seniors. They were sweet and all but I felt bad to be served by an elderly...I felt like I had to get up and help them move the dishes...*sigh*

Not that they needed help (they were very energetic and seemed like enjoying working there!) You know Koreans have this confucianism running in our blood and all about respecting the elderly (although it's thinning out generation by generation..but that's whole another issue.)

It was a small buffet and there weren't so many to select from compared to the price (lunch was about $12) but everything tasted fresh and like homemade cooking. Foods there were "traditional Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine" like sausages, potatoes, sauerkraut, and pink eggs.

They were okay. I wasn't too crazy about pink eggs though. Would I go back there? I'm not sure. But I wouldn't hold you back to try. Please do try and let me know.

Oregon Dairy Country Restaurant is located at:
2900 Oregon Pike
Lititz, PA 17543
(717) 656-2856
www.oregondairy.com/restaurant.asp

Other Restaurant Reviews:
Pho Nam Vietnamese Restaurant, MD
VietGoel/LightHouse Tofu House Korean Restaurant , MD
Jong Kak Korean BBQ Restaurant in Baltimore, MD
Tian Korean-Chinese Restaurant, MD
Niko Japanese Restaurant, MD

(for past reviews of this restaurant click here...)

Current special deals are if you order special large entree, Tangsooyook (sweet and sour pork/beef/chicken) OR Gganpoongi (like spicy buffalo wings in that restaurant) you get a FREE bowl of Jjajangmyun (Noodle with Black bean paste sauce).

Well, Jjajangmyun tasted ok. I think it actually got better, but don't forget that their Jjajangmyun was REALLY YUCKY the first time LOL.

And Tian started to give out free desserts for everyone, Red Bean Paste with Shaved Ice called Ppatbingsoo.

Here comes our experience...our server didn't confirm our order and and got our orders wrong ending up with extra appetizer for us (which we didn't want.) We didn't touch at all and we told the server that we never wanted that dish and she was almost ready to throw us a fit and started to talk back. We didn't want to make any situations there (Many Korean servers are usually more friendly to foreigners than Koreans...how unfair...) She wouldn't take it back and said that it was our fault. What the $%&^%^%...!

So we had to eat it and pay for it....that just ruined our appetite...from the start.

We wanted to get out ASAP so we just started to eat and was about to walk out and they told us about the dessert so we saw others having Shaved Ice with Red bean paste and fruits so we sat back down. And we got shaved ice with red bean paste....no fruit...nothing...just milk on the bottom....

If you say Ppatbingsoo, you would think of something like the following picture:

I know, I know...it's FREE dessert but we saw others having at least some fruit on the top...(what's this?) The top right corner Ppatbingsoo could be said to be the minimalist Ppatbingsoo...with some small rice cakes and at least jellies or canned fruit...but ours...was YUCK...! I don't know...maybe we had to ask for fruit shaved ice. Someone please tell me that was the case...

However, the other server (not the one who was ready to fight) was nice enough to get us a band-aid for my niece who got a cut and sweet enough to give her Dora Stickers so she wouldn't cry anymore. That was sweet.

Please remember...if you are not Korean you are definitely going to get better service than we did! LOL
How sad...but true throughout MOST Korean restaurants... and who knows...they might like you better and throw in extra something something.

Just remember to double check your orders though...it would be your fault...sigh*

Other Restaurant Reviews:
Bonchon Chicken, VA
Allgreen Market Food Court-Poongnyun , MD
Sushi King Japanese Restaurant , MD
VietGoel/LightHouse Tofu House Korean Restaurant , MD
Jong Kak Korean BBQ Restaurant in Baltimore, MD

Their fried chicken uses less oil and very crispy. They warn you when you order that the food will be out 30-45 minutes after so please call ahead or be prepared to wait. They sure take time cooking (draining oil out) and no one minds waiting since it really doesn't feel greasy but very crispy and a great flavor too! Worth the wait.

You can also order take out as well. I've tried taking a picture of dine in too but the pictures weren't good at all. Sorry. But basically you just get the same thing as the take out. My family started to attack the chicken so I kinda had to stop them and take a picture before all the chicken is gone LOL. Can you find the bone?

When you order the options you have to choose from are the following:

1. wings or drumsticks or mix (I choose wings)
2. soy garlic sauce or hot sauce (I choose half & half)
3. Medium or Large (Usually Large)
and if you are stumped or confused, servers seem to speak English pretty well and nice enough so don't be afraid to ask!

With every chicken dish comes pickled radish that's perfect pairing with fried chickens like coleslaw or pickles. Yum Yum! Of course, you can ask for seconds!
Also if you are dining in rather than the take out, you HAVE to ask for the salad.
I've asked the servers and they told me that they ONLY GIVE you the salad only when you ask for it.
I don't know why but that's their way.
With salad and pickled radish on your side you are good to go! Yum~

One thing that bothered me was that VA still allows indoor smoking...(MD started no smoking law) so that was one thing that bothered me but other than that good service, good food, and stuffed belly. I was happy!

Please feel free to share you thoughts about this Restaurant!
Or you wanna try making your own? Click Here for the spicy wing recipe!

Bonchon is located at:
6653 Little River Tpke
Annandale, VA 22003
(703) 750-1424
www.bonchon.com